The verb tener often expresses possession, but it also appears in common expressions for age and hunger.
The idea
For the subjects shown, the present forms are yo tengo, tú tienes, él/ella/usted tiene, nosotros tenemos, vosotros tenéis and ellos/ellas/ustedes tienen. Say tengo hambre for “I am hungry” and tiene veinte años for “he or she is twenty”.
Examples
- Tengo una hermana.I have a sister.
- ¿Tienes tiempo?Do you have time?
- Ella tiene una bicicleta.She has a bicycle.
- Tenemos hambre.We are hungry.
- Ustedes tienen dos entradas.You have two tickets.
- Mi hermano tiene veinte años.My brother is twenty years old.
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Watch out
Do not translate age word for word with ser: in Spanish people normally say tiene veinte años. The yo form is irregular: tengo.
Try it yourself
Yo ___ una hermana. (tengo / tienen)
Show answer or example answer
tengo
With yo, the present form is tengo.
Ella ___ una bicicleta. (tiene / tenemos)
Show answer or example answer
tiene
For the singular subject ella, choose tiene.
Nosotros ___ hambre. (tenemos / tienes)
Show answer or example answer
tenemos
With nosotros, choose the plural form tenemos.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Spanish sentences where available. We keep your score.
Yo ___ una hermana. (tengo / tienen)
Ella ___ una bicicleta. (tiene / tenemos)
Nosotros ___ hambre. (tenemos / tienes)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Say what you have, how old someone is and whether you are hungry, using the correct form of tener.